In the medical field, a surgeon routinely needs to deliver a drug or another fluid to an anatomical surface within a surgical site in a patient. Conventional manual and non-manual syringes are often used to deliver these fluids to the surgical site. For example, one known conventional syringe design includes two barrels, each containing separate fluids, that are simultaneously dispensed and mixed to form a coating adapted to prevent bleeding at the surgical site. In order to spread the coating over a surface area at the surgical site, the double-barreled syringe may be coupled to a known mixing or blending spray tip, such as the FIBRIJET brand of blending tips, such as model SA-3692, that is commercially available from Micromedics of St. Paul, Minn. The blending spray tip receives the fluids from each of the two barrels, along with a pressurized gas from a pressurized gas source, to form a therapeutic aerosol that is sprayed over the surface to be coated. The therapeutic aerosol, including, for example, pain relievers, antibiotics, or coagulants, may be applied to the surgical site before, during, or after a surgical procedure.
Known conventional gas-assisted fluid-dispensing devices require a separate pressurized gas source and regulator coupled to the spray tip via tubing, and the plungers of the double-barreled syringe must be manually actuated to spray the therapeutic aerosol. However, manual actuation of the syringes may be difficult to accurately control, especially with highly viscous fluids. Furthermore, tethering of the fluid-dispensing device to the pressurized gas source and regulator may limit mobility and be somewhat cumbersome when working within a small surgical site.
There is a need, therefore, for a gas-assisted fluid-dispensing device that addresses these and other problems associated with conventional fluid-dispensing devices.